BARRINGTON — Clyde was a scrapper. The gray cat was used to fighting for his survival and he has the marks to prove it — notched ears and fur that never grew back on the side of his head.

But now he has a home with Irene Lagergren on the third floor of Atria Bay Spring Village, where he can look out the window to the parking lot. Clyde knows that lot well, that’s where he once shivered in the cold and fought with other cats in the neighborhood.

“He’s gone from rags to riches,” Ms. Lagergren said.

Clyde is one of the strays that Barrington Partnership for Animals — BPAW — rescued from the streets. The volunteer group, whose leaders include residents Cindy Larson and Barb Masterson, is committed to helping lost pets in Barrington find their way home, and strays find a way off the streets.

Last month marked BPAW’s two-year anniversary. In that time the group has been instrumental in returning about 30 dogs to their owners, and has worked to reduce the number of feral cat colonies in town. They have also helped find homes for about 130 stray cats and one stray dog.

Their work has met some financial challenges recently.

BPAW depends on donations to survive, and those donations have dried up significantly over the past year. Meanwhile, the number of stray animals in town has held strong. Ms. Larson said some animals become strays when their owners can no longer afford to take care of them. At the same time there are less people willing to adopt cats because of financial reasons, Ms. Larson said.

BPAW recently sent out letters to 2,000 Barrington homes, asking for help. Donations can also be made through the group’s website, www.barringtonpaw.org.

Stories to tell

Each owner who has adopted a stray cat from BPAW has a story to tell.

Ms. Lagergren has owned Clyde for about a year. When she first adopted him she lived on Echo Drive near Ms. Masterson.

“I lived across the street from Barbara and I had two cats at the time. Nobody wanted Clyde — he’s bald on top of his head and his ears are notched — so I took him in. He turned out to be the best cat in the world. I’m old, (82.) I decided to sell the house, and I came to Atria because you can take your animals here,” she said.

Ms. Lagergren finds it amusing that Clyde ended up living in the lap of luxury just upstairs from his old fighting grounds in the parking lot.

Across town, another Echo Drive resident, Janet Feldman, has several cats that started out as strays. Her yard is large and has a wooded section and it’s not unusual for stray or feral cats to find it a good place to visit or stay.

Ms. Feldman talks about Oscar the cat who wandered in, as well as Sophia and Joe D. Foster, a Maine coon cat, and a tiger named Johnny Angel.

Ms. Feldman said BPAW has made a wonderful difference with help and advice with these stray cats that became part of her family. She said Janet Stone, who started an organization years ago called Barrington Services for Animals, was a wonderful help before BPAW got going two years ago. Help has included advice and financial support for medical attention for the cats.

BPAW’s beginnings

BPAW started with a feral cat called Bobby, said Ms. Larson. She said Bobby and the rest of his family moved under her deck years ago; Ms. Larson got veterinary care for them and found homes (including her own) for the young cats.

“Barrington PAW would never had happened if it had not been for Bobby the cat. He is the reason I became aware of the plight of homeless animals in Barrington and decided to do something to change that,” Ms. Larson said.

Ms. Masterson is a dog walker and frequently saw strays when she was out walking, and wanted to do something to help. She and Ms. Larson met and began working on ways to make changes. In two years, Barrington has gone from having one of the highest euthanasia rates in the state — about 95 percent — to having one of the lowest rates, about 2 percent.

“We do not euthanize a single animal unless we’ve exhausted every effort. Essentially it’s a vet saying it’s in the animal’s best interest,” Ms. Larson said.

There is no animal shelter in town. John Duffy, Barrington’s animal control officer, said stray dogs go to a shelter in East Providence, and cats have gone to the Warren Animal Hospital since shortly after he came on board in July of 2008.

The initial costs are covered by the town for evaluation and short-term boarding, but BPAW steps into the gap after that, providing funds for medications or treatment as needed.

The organization is a nonprofit, and staffed entirely by volunteers who want to help lost animals find their homes, and strays have a better life.

“If there’s anything we can do for an animal, we do it,” Ms. Larson said.

Usually this means caring for cats.

“In Barrington it is usually cats. Many dogs are found but they tend to have an owner somewhere frantically looking for them,” Ms. Larson said.

The staff at the Warren Animal Hospital works in partnership with the town of Barrington, and with BPAW. John Duffy, the animal control officer, said he has a budget to work within, and that includes bringing a cat to the animal hospital for initial evaluation. He said since January of 2009 about 60 cats have been picked up, and four or five returned to owners. In the same time frame, about 45 dogs were found, and all but a couple were returned to their owners.

He said BPAW has helped out with medical care that goes beyond the basics the town can provide. It also has been the driving force behind numerous adoptions.

“I didn’t find 60 homes for cats, BPAW and Warren Animal Hospital did. They’ve done a heck of a job finding homes for all of these animals,” he said.

Ms. Larson said the core group of BPAW is four or five people doing most of the work. She said the staff at the animal hospital goes above and beyond and gives extra time and attention to the cats temporarily housed there.

“We would need a lot more people involved if not for the staff of the animal hospital,” Ms. Larson said.

In addition, collaboration with Barrington Town Manager Peter DeAngelis, Police Chief John LaCross, and Mr. Duffy, has made it possible for BPAW to rescue so many animals. Some people temporarily foster cats also.

Ms. Larson said the most exciting thing has been seeing the animals saved and adopted into new homes, but the group does not consider the progress they have made to be the final step.

“We very much consider this a work in progress and we are working with the town administration on an on-going basis to work towards an even better long-range solution for sheltering the animals, etc.,” she said.

More information

• Seen a stray? If you see a stray animal, call the Barrington Police Department at 437-3935. The police dispatcher will notify John Duffy, the animal control officer in town, about the situation.

• Want to adopt or donate? If you have a question for Barrington Partnership for Animal Welfare, or would like to volunteer, donate, or be a foster cat parent or adopt a cat, contact Ms. Larson at info@barringtonpaw.org.